Hard candies are generally obtained by dehydrating a syrup, cooking it at high temperature and possibly under low pressure, then forming a massecuite after adding flavors, colorants, etc. This is then poured while hot into a mold or cooled, formed into sausage shape, then stamped or cut in order to obtain a hard candy having a vitreous appearance.
The syrup used in manufacturing these candies can be composed of carbohydrates such as saccharose, dextrose, fructose, glucose syrup (starch hydrolysate comprising glucose, maltose and higher oligosaccharides) and their mixtures, or polyols such as sorbitol, maltitol syrups, mannitol, xylitol, isomalt, lactitol, hydrogenated starch hydrolysates (including maltitol) and their mixtures. Polyols make it possible to obtain candies having a low caloric yield and that are weakly cariogenic. However, because of their hygroscopic nature, they do not always enable candies to be manufactured that are stable over time. Candies obtained from said polyols, such as maltitol syrups, tend to absorb the ambient humidity, causing the liquefaction of their surface and making them sticky. Some of them also have a flow phenomenon that causes the deformation of the candy over time.
To remedy these problems, in particular, it has been suggested to adjust the maltitol content in the syrup (U.S. Pat. No. 5,314,708) or the composition of the hard candy in order to obtain a micro-crystallization of the surface, enabling the candy to be protected from humidity (EP 0 720 819). To avoid graining phenomena, it has also been proposed to add crystallization inhibitors to the massecuite, such as certain hydrogenated dextrins (EP 0 954 982) or crystallization propagation inhibitors, such as polydextrose (EP 0 611 527). However, it has been observed that, without hermetic packaging, candies obtained from these massecuites have an uncontrolled surface crystallization that alters their texture and the transparent or translucent nature of the candies, as well as a surface flow phenomenon that causes their softening. This is particularly the case for maltitol syrup available under the commercial name of LYCASIN® HBC from the company Roquette.
In the case of hydrogenated starch hydrolysates, it has also been suggested to reduce the water content and flow by adding to the massecuite compounds such as gum arabic or carboxymethyl cellulose, possibly with the addition of mannitol (EP 0 094 292), or to give the candies a particular multilayer structure (EP 0 518 770).
The most satisfactory solution to date to overcome the problems of water absorption and flow described above consists of manufacturing hard candies with an isomalt (or hydrogenated isomaltulose) base. In fact, these represent nearly 80% of the world market for hard candies. However, due to the low molecular weight of the isomalt, obtaining hard candies that are stable over time requires the aqueous isomalt solutions to be boiled in order to achieve a particularly low water content in the finished product. Now, this results in very high boiling temperatures, which increase the energy cost of the manufacturing process of the candies and also results in very long cooling times prior to forming the candies at 60-80° C. (particularly since the fusion heat of the melt is rather high), which also has a negative effect on the economy of the method. Moreover, said high boiling temperatures can be prejudicial to the stability of sensitive ingredients, such as vitamins, or flavors incorporated into the composition. Consequently, such items must be added to the melt after it has cooled.
Above all, this method results in isomalt-based melts having a viscosity that is insufficient for manufacturing candies by forming and not by molding. To increase their viscosity, the isomalt solutions are usually boiled in a vacuum at a lower temperature, which complicates the process. Another solution for increasing the viscosity of the isomalt-based massecuites, while preserving the stability of the hard candy in storage, was proposed in FR 2 846 518. It consists of replacing a portion of the isomalt with particular branched maltodextrins. However, such maltodextrins contribute strongly to the coloration of the syrups during the cooking of the candies, even at a low rate of incorporation.
Hydrogenated polydextrose-based hard candies are also available on the market. However, they have a bitter aftertaste that has slowed their commercial development. Furthermore, polydextrose is classified as a food additive (E1200 bulking agent) in the Codex alimentarius, so that it cannot be used in the preparation of hard candies “with no additives,” which are more and more in demand by consumers desiring natural products.
There is therefore a need to propose a hard candy composition that makes it possible to manufacture, according to a simple method (in particular, not requiring the cooker to be in a vacuum, or the cooking temperature to be too high) having satisfactory productivity, hard candies that are non-cariogenic and have good organoleptic properties and a stability over time comparable to candies prepared with an isomalt base. It would also be desirable that these hard candies be able to be manufactured by forming and not only by molding.
Surprisingly, the inventors have discovered that these needs can be met by preparing hard candies from a composition including a special combination of galacto-oligosaccharides, particularly from legumes.